State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

sustainable development18

  • Dead Pool: the Depletion of a Shared Natural Resource

    Dead Pool: the Depletion of a Shared Natural Resource

    The Dead Sea could soon enough become a dead “pool” of sea. But perhaps there’s another alternative.

  • ESP Student Profile: Arina Larasati Susijo

    ESP Student Profile: Arina Larasati Susijo

    Arina Larasati Susijo has a passion for science, and was drawn to the MPA-ESP program to take advantage of learning the science behind the environmental policy issues facing her native Indonesia and the Southeast Asian region.

  • Preparing for Climate-Related Food Shocks

    Preparing for Climate-Related Food Shocks

    Researchers are investigating if the projected increase in climate change-generated droughts, floods, heat waves and other intense short-term occurrences will result in increased shocks that could jeopardize food security worldwide.

  • Global Philanthropy and Inequality

    Global Philanthropy and Inequality

    Recent trends now point towards global philanthropy becoming the new norm. Global philanthropy aims to reduce inequality in developing countries through many forms. But inequities persist, and different manifestations of global philanthropy will be challenged to increase impact and achieve a demonstrable shift in areas such as poverty, health, access to opportunity, and beyond.

  • How to Rethink Urban Transit, and Pay for It, Too

    How to Rethink Urban Transit, and Pay for It, Too

    “We have conflated mobility with access, but mobility is not the same as access. The best solution to a transportation problem is to not have to travel. The city itself was invented as a solution to a transportation problem. We have cities so we don’t have to travel.”

  • Fossil Fuel Companies Need to Become Renewable Energy Companies

    No one should underestimate the scale of the challenge that confronts humanity. It will require new technologies and changes in infrastructure, organizational capacity, economic incentives and public policy.

  • Climate Change and the Paris Agreement: What’s Next?

    Climate Change and the Paris Agreement: What’s Next?

    “Climate change is an extreme example of what happens when you do not have sustainable development. We will not address climate change unless we change the patterns of production and consumption that drove us to this situation in the first place.”

  • Philanthropy and Inequality

    Philanthropy and Inequality

    In the field of philanthropy, foundations have been confronted with how to address structural racism and various forms of systemic inequities. How can foundations play a greater role in reducing racial disparities, promoting criminal justice reform, and tackling any range of manifestations of inequality?

  • Report Charges ‘Nepotism and Neglect’ on Bangladesh Arsenic Poisoning

    Report Charges ‘Nepotism and Neglect’ on Bangladesh Arsenic Poisoning

    Two decades after arsenic was found to be contaminating drinking water across Bangladesh, tens of millions of people are still exposed to the deadly chemical. Now a new report from the group Human Rights Watch charges that the Bangladesh government “is failing to adequately respond” to the issue, and that political favoritism and neglect have…

Collage of Turkiye beach scene and Columbia University Campus with text: UN Climate Change Conference COP31, Antalya, Turkiye, Nov 9-20, 2026

COP31, the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, aims to advance dialogue, strengthen consensus, and accelerate climate action on a global scale. From November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, heads of state, ministers, scientists, business leaders, and civil society will gather to advance efforts in emission targets, climate finance, and adaptation and resilience. Once again, our experts, students, and global thought leaders from Columbia Climate School and across Columbia University are contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More

  • Dead Pool: the Depletion of a Shared Natural Resource

    Dead Pool: the Depletion of a Shared Natural Resource

    The Dead Sea could soon enough become a dead “pool” of sea. But perhaps there’s another alternative.

  • ESP Student Profile: Arina Larasati Susijo

    ESP Student Profile: Arina Larasati Susijo

    Arina Larasati Susijo has a passion for science, and was drawn to the MPA-ESP program to take advantage of learning the science behind the environmental policy issues facing her native Indonesia and the Southeast Asian region.

  • Preparing for Climate-Related Food Shocks

    Preparing for Climate-Related Food Shocks

    Researchers are investigating if the projected increase in climate change-generated droughts, floods, heat waves and other intense short-term occurrences will result in increased shocks that could jeopardize food security worldwide.

  • Global Philanthropy and Inequality

    Global Philanthropy and Inequality

    Recent trends now point towards global philanthropy becoming the new norm. Global philanthropy aims to reduce inequality in developing countries through many forms. But inequities persist, and different manifestations of global philanthropy will be challenged to increase impact and achieve a demonstrable shift in areas such as poverty, health, access to opportunity, and beyond.

  • How to Rethink Urban Transit, and Pay for It, Too

    How to Rethink Urban Transit, and Pay for It, Too

    “We have conflated mobility with access, but mobility is not the same as access. The best solution to a transportation problem is to not have to travel. The city itself was invented as a solution to a transportation problem. We have cities so we don’t have to travel.”

  • Fossil Fuel Companies Need to Become Renewable Energy Companies

    No one should underestimate the scale of the challenge that confronts humanity. It will require new technologies and changes in infrastructure, organizational capacity, economic incentives and public policy.

  • Climate Change and the Paris Agreement: What’s Next?

    Climate Change and the Paris Agreement: What’s Next?

    “Climate change is an extreme example of what happens when you do not have sustainable development. We will not address climate change unless we change the patterns of production and consumption that drove us to this situation in the first place.”

  • Philanthropy and Inequality

    Philanthropy and Inequality

    In the field of philanthropy, foundations have been confronted with how to address structural racism and various forms of systemic inequities. How can foundations play a greater role in reducing racial disparities, promoting criminal justice reform, and tackling any range of manifestations of inequality?

  • Report Charges ‘Nepotism and Neglect’ on Bangladesh Arsenic Poisoning

    Report Charges ‘Nepotism and Neglect’ on Bangladesh Arsenic Poisoning

    Two decades after arsenic was found to be contaminating drinking water across Bangladesh, tens of millions of people are still exposed to the deadly chemical. Now a new report from the group Human Rights Watch charges that the Bangladesh government “is failing to adequately respond” to the issue, and that political favoritism and neglect have…